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Ok so let me get this started by saying this job is an annoying one to do but I was getting a weird smell through my vents and thought to start with the cabin/pollen filter and thought whilst I was there to make a quick guide as I couldn’t find any with decent pictures

Clear out any contents that you have in the glove box as it needs to come out as the filter is in behind it.

Step 2

There are 3 plastics tabs that are covering 3 screws mines just popped away using my hand although a flat head screw driver would come in handy for any ones that won’t budge.

Step 3

After that you will need to remove 7 screws using the T20 Bit. Your glove box should just pull away, keep an eye out for the little hook at the top as this is what the glove box uses to keep it shut and with the screws removed the metal bracket will not be held in place.

Step 4

With the main part now out you will then need to just unhook this plastic part should come away easily.

Step 5

The 2 hinges should then just pull away don’t be afraid to give these a little tug. After this you glovebox door can be removed.

Step 6

Now that we have the glovebox completely out we should start with the cover that holds in the cabin filter. This bolt requires a 7mm socket and is at the bottom you should be able to get to it through the footwell.

Step 7

We now want to unclip the fuse box using the little tabs so that we can access the bolts that holds on the metal bracket which the fuse box sits on as this metal bracket is in the way of the cabin filter cover so need to be removed before we can get the old filter out.

Step 8

I got a little ahead of myself and forgot to take a picture of the 2 bolts although you should get the idea. These 2 bolts require the 13mm socket. Once removed you will need to wiggle the fuse box off the bracket and get the bracket out of the road.

Step 9

With the metal bracket out the way all you need to do now is remove the 2 (7mm) bolts and the cover should then just come away.

Step 10

Forgot to take a picture at this point but you should now be able to see your old filter all you need to do is remove it. It can be a little awkward with some of the cables nearby but can be done if you take your time.

This is the picture of my old filter the camera makes it look better than it was but it was completely black and looked like it had never been changed even though I bought this car with a full dealer history.

After this just put in your new filter and follow this guide in reverse. Took me around 30 minutes to do it and that was my first time doing it. Hopefully the pictures are clear enough if not I do have them in high quality. Once I get the zip file uploaded somewhere I will add the link in.

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It's such an awkward design for something that needs to be changed yearly lol.

Even as a novice you don't need to remove the glovebox though, I've only ever done it once on the Focus with a quick guide from a Ford tech mate. Managed to twist my back awkwardly doing it though which wasn't ideal!

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It's such an awkward design for something that needs to be changed yearly lol.

Even as a novice you don't need to remove the glovebox though, I've only ever done it once on the Focus with a quick guide from a Ford tech mate. Managed to twist my back awkwardly doing it though which wasn't ideal!

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Lol, I expect there are! It must be someones job to design these things as easily as possible for quicker servicing times though...just makes me wonder how they end up putting it there!

I've had much easier ones on other cars, Mk4 Golf and Vectra C under scuttle panel (no bending or footwells, ideal!), Honda Jazz and earlier gen Civic behind an easy glovebox, later Civic and Volvo S40 in the footwell but needing nothing but a cover removed... Then I get the Focus and find I need to get on the floor and the entire GEM/bracket needs moving to get to it, plus they couldn't even use a simple clip on the cover, they had to bolt it in for extra awkwardness.

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Changing the cabin air filter on a European LHD Focus MK2/MK2.5 is a lot harder. On the LHD Focus the complete pedal box is mounted in front of the cabin air filter housing. The cabin air filter can only be changed after the pedal box has been removed. The welded nuts securing the pedal box do often come loose. If this happens it is a hell of a job to remove the pedal box and something simple as changing the cabin air filter turns out to be a 4 hour job.

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Volvo used the exact same heater housing on the S30, S40 and V50. However instead of using the Ford hex screws they used wing screws instead which makes assemble/disassembly a lot easier.

On my LHD Focus MK2 I used Viledon filter material which is used in commercial and industrial airconditioning systems. This filter material is much more flexible than the original cabin air filter. Because of the flexibility it is poddible to change the filter without removing the pedal box. The Viledon filter and the Volvo wing screws saved me a lot of time.

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It would seem that easy to change, on some vehicles goes hand in hand with poor placement design and some are just badly thought out

On the Mk3 Astra, the cabin filter is exceptionally easy to change (15 second job), but suffers from poor placement design. Should you park on a hill, with the bonnet facing up the hill and it rains - your cabin filter will fill with water :o by capillary action from the badly designed scuttle, directly above it!

Conversely, the Isuzu engine (still on Mk3 Astra) has a spectacularly awkward to get at oil filter! Not only is it horizontal, so it won't fully drain, unless you lift the whole car up at the back, rotating the engine by 90°!

It's too close to the bulkhead to use your oil filter socket and get a wrench to drive it. The injector manifold is directly above it, and limits how much of a turn you can make anyway!

If you try with a chain wrench, you almost always touch the starter solenoid with the loose chain, and lots of sparking ensues.

The water pump pliers can be squeezed into the space but you can only unscrew, by about 1/32nd of a turn; on account of manifold. Of course, once it's undone, the third of it's contents which didn't drain, empties all over the starter motor! Always managing to miss all those cloths you've placed on it to catch the oil :o

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It would seem that easy to change, on some vehicles goes hand in hand with poor placement design and some are just badly thought out

On the Mk3 Astra, the cabin filter is exceptionally easy to change (15 second job), but suffers from poor placement design. Should you park on a hill, with the bonnet facing up the hill and it rains - your cabin filter will fill with water :o by capillary action from the badly designed scuttle, directly above it!

Conversely, the Isuzu engine (still on Mk3 Astra) has a spectacularly awkward to get at oil filter! Not only is it horizontal, so it won't fully drain, unless you lift the whole car up at the back, rotating the engine by 90°!

It's too close to the bulkhead to use your oil filter socket and get a wrench to drive it. The injector manifold is directly above it, and limits how much of a turn you can make anyway!

If you try with a chain wrench, you almost always touch the starter solenoid with the loose chain, and lots of sparking ensues.

The water pump pliers can be squeezed into the space but you can only unscrew, by about 1/32nd of a turn; on account of manifold. Of course, once it's undone, the third of it's contents which didn't drain, empties all over the starter motor! Always managing to miss all those cloths you've placed on it to catch the oil :o

+ 1 on Passat seconds to change but boy off hell of a water trap if seal falls on pollen filter then water flows in under carpet and into comfort control module which controls all car electrics stupid design from vw